What is the real, true meaning of the one day festival that occurs at
the close of the Feast of Tabernacles -- called Shemini Atzeret, or "the Eighth Day"? The awesome significance of this
final festival day in YEHOVAH God's Plan for His people Israel has gone unnoticed,
misinterpreted, and misunderstood by millions! It does not picture
the "Great White Throne" judgment at the close of the Millennium,
as thousands have assumed -- but something far greater than that!
Here the truth is made plain!

by HOIM Staff

In the book of Leviticus we read a description of all the annual holy days of
YEHOVAH God, beginning with Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost,
Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the seven day Feast of Tabernacles or "Ingathering"
of the harvest (Leviticus 23:1-36). Then, at the close of the Feast of Sukkoth or
Tabernacles, in the fall, we read:

"...on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and
ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly;
and ye shall do no servile work therein" (Leviticus 23:36).

This one-day festival occurs right at the end of the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles,
which pictures the Millennial Reign of the Messiah and YEHOVAH God (Revelation 20:4;
Isaiah 11). The last or seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles pictures the FINAL
DAY OF HARVEST or INGATHERING -- that is, the final time of spiritual harvest
which is pictured by the Great White Throne judgment, when all those
Israelites who ever
lived are resurrected and "judged" according to their works (Revelation 20:11-15).
This "seventh day" of the Feast is also called "the great day of the feast"
(John 7:37), and is the time when the tares are separated from the wheat
(Matthew 13:24-30). It pictures a truly "great day of salvation" when millions
of Israelites will
be saved, and will come to know YEHOVAH God!

Since the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles completes the "harvest festival"
of the great fall harvest -- and therefore represents the FINAL DAY of "harvesting"
and "ingathering" -- the COMPLETION of the salvation process, and YEHOVAH's
Plan with His people Israel -- what is the meaning and purpose of the ONE-DAY festival
that appears to be "tacked onto" the end of the Feast of Tabernacles?

What is the hidden, unrealized meaning of "Shemini Atzeret" -- or "the eighth
day"?

A Separate Feast

Before seeing what the Scriptures tell us about this subject, let's review
briefly the teachings and concepts which Rabbinical Judaism has put forth concerning
this ancient festival. The Jews have been observing this day, along with all
YEHOVAH's festivals, for the past 3,500 years, since the time of Moses. Therefore,
their insights ought to be instructive and meaningful.

To understand the full meaning of this final holy day, it will help us to
compare -- and to contrast -- it with the Festival that precedes it, the Feast
of Tabernacles. As The Jewish Book of Why explains:

"Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah ["the rejoicing of the Law"] are holidays
totally independent of the Sukkot holiday.

"In Israel, as dictated by the Bible, Sukkot is observed for seven days.
The first day is a full holiday, on which one is to abstain from work. The
next five days are Chol Hamoed, Intermediary Days, which are considered half-holidays.
The seven and last day of Sukkot is Hoshana Rabba, also a half-holiday. The
day after Hoshana Rabba is a separate holiday called Shemini Atzeret.
Simchat Torah is not observed as a separate holiday. It is observed as part
of Shemini Atzeret....

"The seventh and last day of Sukkot was endowed with special sanctity by
the last of the Prophets: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Coming at the beginning
of the rainy season, it became known as a Day of Judgment for Rain. (A special
service for rain became part of the Shemini Atzeret service held on the next
day.)" (p. 254-255).

This Jewish authority goes on to explain further:

"Shemini Atzeret, the Eighth Day of Solemn Assembly, is often thought of
as the eighth day of Sukkot. Actually, it is an INDEPENDENT HOLIDAY.
The Rabbis refer to it as regel bifnay atzmo, a separate holiday, and
required that the Shehecheyanu prayer be recited when the candles are
lighted and when the Kiddush is recited. (This would not be
required if Shemini Atzeret were not an independent holiday.)

"Shemini Atzeret is a ONE-DAY HOLIDAY marking the conclusion of the festivities
and observances of Sukkot, and NONE OF THE SUKKOT CEREMONIALS APPLY TO IT"
(p. 256).

According to six
laws found in the Talmud, Shemini Atzeret is considered a festival
unto itself -- unrelated to Succoth (Feast of Tabernacles). Notice:

"Sukkah 48a: It
has been taught in agreement with R. Nahman, The Eighth Day is a SEPARATE
FESTIVAL with regard to P'Z'R'K'SH'B' i.e., with regard to balloting it is a
SEPARATE festival, with regard to the benediction of the season it is a
SEPARATE festival, with regard to the nature of the festival it is a
SEPARATE festival, with regard to its sacrifice it is a SEPARATE festival,
with regard to its psalm it is a SEPARATE festival, and with regard to its
benediction it is a SEPARATE festival."

As we can see,
there are six halachic (interpretations of the laws of the Scriptures)
ingredients that separate Shemini Atzeret from Succoth or Tabernacles. You
cannot understand this holiday without first learning the six laws which come
with the six-letter acronym P'Z'R'K'SH'B' --

(1)Payis
-- Lottery. The priests in the Jerusalem Temple used to conduct a separate
lottery for the services on Shemini Atzeret. It shows that Shemini Atzeret is
indeed a SEPARATE DAY from Succoth or Tabernacles.

(2) Zman
-- Shemini Atzeret deserves a Shecheyanu blessing (a common Jewish prayer said
to celebrate special occasions) on its own indicating, once again, that it is a
SEPARATE HOLIDAY from Succoth or Tabernacles.

(3)Regel
-- A SEPARATE holiday. A mourner, for instance, counts Succoth or Tabernacles as
seven days -- which are deducted from the thirty obligatory mourning days. The
mourner also counts Shemini Atzeret as seven deductible days, since it is
considered a holiday on its own.

Now we come to the
last three laws characterizing Shemini Atzeret -- which call for our undivided
attention. (KSHB -- also means, "listen to").

(4)Korban -- Sacrifice, meaning that Shemini Atzeret has its own sacrifice of
ONE BULL. It signifies, according to the Midrash, that YEHOVAH
God is intimately associated with Israel ONLY -- in contrast to Succoth
(Tabernacles) where He considers, so to speak, all the SEVENTY BULLS representing
the seventy nations of the world.

(5)Shir
-- Song. It means that the song -- which the Levites sing on Shemini Atzeret --
is DIFFERENT from the ones they used to sing on Succoth.

(6)Bracha -- Blessing of the King. Also meaning specifying the name of the
holiday in Mussaf (an additional service that is recited on the Sabbath) or the
blessing over meals (Beit Yosef, the laws of Shemini Atzeret).

The main points to
be deduced from the above are (1) the separateness of Shemini Atzeret --
it is a holiday that is completely separate from Succoth, (2) it is a day
in which YEHOVAH God is intimately associated with Israel ONLY and, (3)
it is, in some way, associated with kingship.

Further enlightenment concerning this holy day of YEHOVAH God is provided in
the book The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays, by Rabbi Irving
Greenberg. He relates:

"When the seven days of Sukkot end, the Bible decrees yet another holiday,
the Eighth Day of Assembly. The Rabbis interpreted this as an encore. After
the High Holy Days, after the intense seven days of Sukkot and pilgrimage,
the Jewish people are
about to leave, to scatter and return to their homes. God grows nostalgic,
as it were, and pensive. The people of Israel will not come together again
in such numbers until Passover six months hence. God will soon miss the sounds
of music and pleasure and the unity of the people. The Torah decreed, therefore,
an eighth day of assembly, a final feast/holy day. On this day Jews leave
the sukkah to resume enjoying the comfort of solid, well built, well
insulated homes. The lulav and etrog are put aside; this day,
Shemini Atzeret, is a reprise of the celebration of Sukkot but without
any of the rituals. The message is that all the rituals and symbolic language
are important but ultimately they remain just symbols" (p. 115).

Water and the Spirit
of YEHOVAH God

In the book Celebrate! The Complete Jewish Holidays Handbook,
Lesli Koppelman Ross explains more about the "eighth day" or Shemini Atzeret.
Not only is this feast distinctly different from Sukkot, but it includes a very
special "Prayer for Rain." We read as follows:

"Just as Sukkot gives us a transitional period between the Days of Awe and
our normal routines, the last day of the festival, Shemini Atzeret, or the
Eighth Day of Solemn Assembly, the day we are held back to extend the party
with God, eases us out of the transience of the sukkah.

"As a separate holiday in its own right, also referred to as Shemini
Khag (festival) Ha'atzeret, the eighth day is honored with the
lighting of candles and reciting the festival kiddush...

"The distinct feature of the day is recitation of the prayer for rain
so that the earth will be able to produce in the coming year. It is not
said earlier during Sukkot, which marks the beginning of the rainy season
in Israel, because we do not want rain to prevent us from dwelling in the
sukkah or to interfere with our enjoyment of doing so" (p. 229).

Rain, of course, is made up of water, descending from the skies.
It is a type
of the holy spirit of YEHOVAH God. Comparing YEHOVAH's spirit to rain, the prophet
Joel writes, "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my
spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also
upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my
spirit" (Joel 2:28-29).

Water is itself a symbol of life, and is the foundation of all carbon-based
life forms on earth. We could not live without it. In fact, water forms about
80% of our physical human bodies!

Water and the prayer for rain is a vital ingredient in the celebration of
Shemini Atzeret. It represents YEHOVAH's holy spirit in a very special way.
David prayed, "As the hart panteth after the water brook, so panteth my heart
after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall
I come and appear before God?" (Psalm 42:1-2).

Isaiah the prophet wrote, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,
and he that hath no money: come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price" (Isaiah 55:1).

YEHOVAH God also compares His Word to the rain that waters the earth. In the
same chapter, He tells us,

"For as the RAIN cometh down, and the snow from heaven,
and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth
and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall
my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me VOID,
but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the
thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with JOY, and be led forth with
peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn
shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle
tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an EVERLASTING SIGN that
shall not [ever] be cutoff" (Isaiah 55:10-13).

The Messiah, Yeshua Ha Moshiach offers each one of us "living water" (John
4:10) -- the water that leads to eternal life. He said to the Samaritan woman
at the well at Sychar, in Samaria, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that
I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall
be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14).

This is the very water that Isaiah the prophet foretold, when he declared,

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD
YEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore
with JOY shall ye draw WATER out of the wells of salvation. And in that day
shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among
the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for he
hath done excellent things: this is known in ALL the earth. Cry out and shout,
thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the MIDST
of thee" (Isaiah 12:2-6).

YEHOVAH also prophesied through Isaiah, His prophet: "For I will pour water
upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour MY
SPIRIT upon thy seed [children of Israel], and MY BLESSING upon thy offspring" (Isaiah
44:3).

Yeshua the Messiah put it this way: "On
the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If any man thirst, let him come unto
me, and drink. He that believeth in me, as the scripture hath said, out of his
belly shall flow RIVERS OF LIVING WATER' (but this spake he of the Spirit, which
they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet given;
because that Jesus was not yet glorified)" (John 7:37-38).

The theme of water is intimately tied up with the final holy day of the year,
Shemini Atzeret. Clearly, it is a day of the pouring out of YEHOVAH's spirit
upon those Israelites who will be judged worthy by YEHOVAH God at the White Throne judgment.

Spiritual Storage and
Joy

In the book The Essence of the Holy Days: Insights from the Jewish Sages,
Avraham Yaakov Finkel tells us more about Shemini Atzeret:

"The seven days of Sukkot which end with Hoshana Rabbah are followed
by another holiday, Shemini Atzeret, the Eighth Day of Assembly...It is a
festival in its own right, independent of Sukkot, and is observed one day
in Eretz Yisrael... The fact that Shemini Atzeret is a separate Yom
Tov is evident in the blessing of Shehecheyanu (Blessed are You,
O LORD our God, King of the universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us,
and brought us to this season), which is recited by women when lighting the
candles and by men when reciting the Kiddush.

"None of the special mitzvot associated with Sukkot are observed
on Shemini Atzeret, and thus there is no requirement to take the lulav
and etrog....

"The word atzeret is derived from atzar, to collect, to store.
The purpose of this festival is to recapitulate and to store in our memories
everything we experienced and gained during the preceding Yamim Tovim
[Good Days], so that we will carry out the resolutions we have made, will
retain the spiritual elevation we have reached, and will not lose them in
the everyday life to which we are about to return" (p. 95-96).

The rabbis recognized that this day, in itself, is a very special holy day.
They saw that it is distinct from the Feast of Sukkot or Tabernacles. They understood
that in a special sense, this day is connected to STORING UP and COLLECTING
all the knowledge, spiritual food, and instruction that we have gained in the
preceding holy days -- especially from Rosh Hashana (Feast of Trumpets) through
the Feast of Tabernacles -- all the spiritual lessons of repentance, forgiveness,
character development, obedience, faith, joy, love -- the lessons of complete
spiritual maturity -- that we have learned during the High Holy Day season through
the Feast of Tabernacles.

The rabbis also contemplated why on this day -- Shemini Atzeret -- there is
no living inside the sukkah required, and no waving of the lulav
--
two rituals which were prominent during the preceding seven-day festival of
Tabernacles. Finkel goes on to explain:

"Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi said, Shemini Atzeret is a Yom Tov that
is not identified with any specific symbol or mitzvah. It is not celebrated
with either matzah, shofar, or lulav. The reason is that
on Shemini Atzeret we reach a stage of TRUE AND PURE JOY, a state of happiness
that requires no external symbolic stimuli. It is a joy that stems from the
depth of man's inner self. Sadness and depression are the marks of a person
who is distant from his inner core. A person who is himself and is in harmony
with his inner core is filled with pure joy.

"This is what the sages meant when they postulated in the Talmud, 'Shemini
Atzeret is a Yom Tov by itself,' it is a celebration and rejoicing
of the essential inner self" (p. 96).

The Sacrifice of
the Bulls

Seventy bullocks were sacrificed to YEHOVAH God during the Feast of Tabernacles,
picturing the "seventy" nations of mankind having their sins atoned for, and
becoming obedient to the truth of YEHOVAH God and the commandments of the LORD
(Isaiah 2:1-4; Micah 4:1-4). But on Shemini Atzeret, only ONE BULL was offered.
Why? Finkel explains:

"During the week of Sukkot, altogether seventy bulls were brought as Mussaf
offerings on the altar in the Bet Hamikdash. However, on Shemini Atzeret,
only one bull was sacrificed. Why? The seventy bulls represent the seventy
nations of the world; the one bull of Shemini Atzeret represents the unique
nation of Israel. You may compare it to a king who had held a festival for
seven days and invited all of the country's inhabitants (the nations of the
world) to the seven days of feasting. When the seven days of feasting were
over, he said to his friend (Israel), 'Let us now have a small meal together,
just you and I' (Bamidbar Rabbah 21, Sukkah 55b)" (p. 98).

We read about this
in Numbers 29 where, during the Feast of Tabernacles, 70 bulls are offered up to
YEHOVAH God -- starting off with 13 bulls on the first day of the Feast and
diminishing to 7 on the last day -- one less on each day. And then, in verses
35-40, we read:

"On the eighth
day [Shemini Atzeret] you shall hold a solemn gathering; you shall not work
at your occupations. You shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire
of pleasing odor to the LORD; ONE BULL, one ram, seven yearling lambs,
without blemish; the meal offerings and libations for the bull, the ram,
and the lambs, in the quantities prescribed; and one goat for a sin offering
-- in addition to the regular burnt offering, its meal offering and
libation. All these you shall offer to the LORD at the stated times, in
addition to your votive and freewill offerings, be they burnt offerings,
meal offerings, libations, or offerings of wellbeing. So Moses spoke to the
Israelites just as the LORD had commanded Moses" (The Tanakh).

In contrast to the
Feast of Tabernacles -- where 70 bulls were offered -- we see, on Shemini
Atzeret, only ONE bull being offered -- why is this? We find the answer in the
Midrash (interpretetion of Biblical texts) where the rabbis
explain:

"ON THE EIGHTH DAY
ye shall have a solemn assembly (XXIX, 35). This bears on what Scripture says:
In return for my love they are my adversaries; but I am all prayer (Ps. CIX, 4).
You find that on the Tabernacles Festival Israel offer to Him [YEHOVAH God]
seventy bullocks AS AN ATONEMENT FOR THE SEVENTY NATIONS. Israel says: 'Sovereign
of the worlds [YEHOVAH God]! Behold, we offer for them [the 70 nations] seventy
bullocks and they ought to love us, yet they hate us.' As it says, 'In return
for my love they are my adversaries.' The Holy One, blessed be He, in
consequence, said to them [Israel]: 'Now, therefore, offer a sacrifice ON YOUR
OWN BEHALF; on the EIGHTH DAY ye shall have a solemn assembly.' Ye shall present
a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD: ONE
BULLOCK, one ram (XXIX, 36).

"This may be compared to the case of a king who
made a banquet for seven days and invited all the people in the province
during the seven days of the feast. When the seven days of the feast [of
Tabernacles] were over he said to his friend: 'We have already done our duty
to all the people of the province, let us now make shift, you and I, with
whatever you can find -- a pound of meat, or of fish, or vegetables.' In
like manner the Holy One, blessed be He, said TO ISRAEL: 'On the EIGHTH DAY
ye shall have a solemn assembly; make shift with whatever you can find; with
ONE BULLOCK, one ram!'" (Midrash Rabbah -- Bamidbar (Numbers)
XXI:24).

We find an echo of
this in Matthew 22 where the king prepares a wedding feast for his son and
invites guests who refuse to show up for the wedding:

"The Kingdom of
Heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son, but when he
sent his slaves to summon the INVITED GUESTS to the wedding, THEY REFUSED TO
COME. So he sent some more slaves, instructing them to tell the guests,
'Look, I've prepared my banquet, I've slaughtered my [seventy] bulls
and my fattened cattle, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding!' But
they weren't interested and went off, one to his farm, another to his
business; and the rest grabbed his slaves, mistreated them and killed them.
The king was furious and sent his soldiers, who killed those murderers and
burned down their city" (verses 2-7, Jewish New Testament).

These invited
guests who turned down the king's invitation are evidently those of the seventy
non-Israelite nations of the world -- represented by the 70 BULLS sacrificed
during the Feast of Tabernacles. Since they turned down the king's invitation he
now turns to the PEOPLE OF ISRAEL:

"Then he said
to his slaves, 'Well, the wedding feast is ready; but the ones who were
invited [of the 70 nations] didn't deserve it. So go out to the
street-corners [of Israel] and invite to the banquet as many as you find.'
The slaves went out into the streets [of Israel], gathered all the people
[of Israel] they could find, the bad along with the good; and the
wedding hall was filled with guests.

"Now when the
king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who wasn't dressed
for a wedding; so he asked him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without
wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. Then the king said to the
servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him outside in the dark!' In
that place people will wail and grind their teeth, FOR MANY [ISRAELITES] ARE
INVITED, BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN" (ibid., verses 8-14).

Even amongst the
Israelites who are raised up at the end of the Millennium and enter the White
Thrown judgment, only a small number will be accepted by YEHOVAH God and
get to partake in the festivities of the Last Great Day and receive the
outpouring of YEHOVAH's spirit as symbolized by this day. The sages of Judaism
say that Shemini Atzeret is the day for the final sealing of Divine judgment
that occurs on the seventh day of Tabernacles.

The Bride and
Groom

In Egypt, after the death of Joseph, the children of
Israel became slaves to the Egyptians. The new pharaoh forced them into hard
bondage in order to keep them in submission to him. They were oppressed and were
filled with sorrow and pain, so they cried out to YEHOVAH God to deliver them
from their captivity. YEHOVAH heard their cries and felt compassion for them.
That is when YEHOVAH God called Moses to lead them out of Egypt and into the
wilderness where YEHOVAH God would redeem them and take them as His own people -- notice!

"And the LORD said, I have
surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard
their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows" (Exodus
3:7,KJV).

"Come now therefore,
and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people
the children of Israel out of Egypt" (Exodus 3:10,ibid.).

"Wherefore say unto the
children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the
burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I
will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:And
I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye
shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under
the burdens of the Egyptians" (Exodus 6:6-7,KJV).

"And afterward Moses and Aaron went
in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go,
that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness" (Exodus 5:1,ibid.).

"God sent ten plagues
on Egypt before Pharaoh finally let them go. Moses lead the children of
Israel out of Egypt by the presence of God in a cloud, and into the
wilderness by God's Power through the parting of the Red Sea. GOD went ahead
of them in a Pillar of Cloud during the day to guide them on the way, and at
night in a Pillar of Fire to give them light; thus they could travel both
day and night. The Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night
never left the people" (Exodus 13:21-22,The
Message).

“Hold your staff high and
stretch your hand out over the sea: Split the sea! The Israelites will walk
through the sea on dry ground” (Exodus 14:16,ibid.).

“And because He loved your fathers,
and chose their seed after them, and brought you out with His
presence, with His great power, out of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 4:37,Green's
Literal Translation).

“For I do not want you to be ignorant,
brothers, of the fact that all of our ancestors [the Israelites] were under
the cloud, and they all went through the sea” (1Corinthians 10:1,International
Standard Version).

"In the third month of
the going out of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, on this day
[Sivan 15] they came to the wilderness of Sinai. And they pulled up stakes
from Rephidim and came to the wilderness of Sinai. And they camped in the
wilderness. And Israel camped there before the mountain" (Exodus 19:1-2,Green's
Literal Translation).

At the mountain in the wilderness,YEHOVAH
God made a union by covenant between Himself and the children of Israel.
Exodus chapters 19 and 24 explain how Moses recited to the children of Israel
the words that YEHOVAH God had given to him, which he had written in the Book of
the Covenant (Ten Commandments and the Law). Then, the children of Israel agreed
to accept YEHOVAH's Covenant. YEHOVAH God hadvowed
to love, treasure, protect, heal, and provide for them(Groomsays
"I do" -- see Exodus 19:5-6, Deuteronomy 7:6-24). United together, the children
of Israel vowed to love, honor, and obey YEHOVAH God and His Word (bridesays
"I do" -- see Exodus 24:3, Exodus 19:7). So, here is the “bride” vowing
to love, honor, and obey, and here is the “Groom” vowing to cherish,
protect, and provide for Hisbride,giving
her His name and all that He has.

Notice that the children of Israel are always
referred to in the FEMININE sense -- never masculine! No same-sex marriage here!

Then the covenant was sealed with a sacrifice of
blood at the mountain of YEHOVAH God (see Exodus 24:8). The children of Israel
became a “wife” and YEHOVAH God Himself became their “Husband”. It
was a formal and legally binding commitment, just like a legal marriage. YEHOVAH
God did this in order to preserve a people (the Israelites) for Himself
in this sinful world and to highlight the correct form of marriage.

"For your Maker is yourhusband;
Jehovah of Hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He [YEHOVAH God] is called the God of all the earth" (Isaiah 54:5,Green's
Literal Translation).

SoIsrael
started out as YEHOVAH's VIRGIN BRIDE; but it was not long -- in fact only a few
days -- before they were unfaithful! The first commandment of the Decalogue
establishes YEHOVAH's primacy: "I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee
out of the land of Egypt...Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus
20:1-3).But
even before Moses had come down the mountain with the tablets of stone, the
people had made -- and were worshipping -- a golden calf. This was to continue
to be the pattern throughout the long, troubled history of Israel.

Finally YEHOVAH's patience ran out and reluctantly He gave them a
BILL OF DIVORCEMENT, declaring: "And I saw, when for all the causes whereby
backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill
of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the
harlot also" (Jeremiah 3:8).

What this divorce meant was that Israel was NO
LONGER UNDER YEHOVAH's PROTECTION and so it was soon conquered by Assyrian and
Babylonian armies and most of the people carried away captive into exile, from
which the majority never returned. They became known as "the lost sheep of the
House of Israel."

"The House of Israel," writes Howard B. Rand, "was
sent away into Assyrian captivity and about 130 years later Judah was carried
away to Babylon. Because Israel had been given a bill of divorcement, and Judah
had not, Israel was UNABLE TO RETURN to Palestine, while a remnant of the House
of Judah did return after the Divinely-set term of the Babylonian captivity had
expired" (Study in Hosea, p. 21).

So according to the law, when YEHOVAH God gave the
House of Israel a bill of divorcement, He expelled them from the "promised
land." So long as that bill of divorcement was in force, HE COULD NOT TAKE HER
BACK into His house (into His land) to dwell again.

But the story does not end in tragedy as YEHOVAH God
is long-suffering and ever faithful, and He had not given up on Israel. Instead,
in spite of their great sins, He made them a promise of great hope. As Jeremiah
records it:

"Behold, the days come, saith
the LORD, that I will make a NEW COVENANT with the house of Israel, and with
the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their
fathers...which my covenant they brake, althoughI
was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days [i.e. in the
future], saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write
itin their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my
people" (Jeremiah31:31-33).

This is WHY Yeshua the Messiah died on the tree! His death REDEEMED Israel, the
wife of YEHOVAH, from her defiled (sinful) and divorced state. When the Messiah
died on the tree after taking Israel sin's upon himself, YEHOVAH God was then
free to REMARRY the now redeemed and cleansed Israel -- to become once again
Husband to His beloved Bride.Thus,
the New (Marriage) Covenant between YEHOVAH God and physical Israel was made
possible by the death, and sealed by the precious blood, of Yeshua the Messiah.

The picture of Shemini Atzeret is of a very intimate union and fellowship,
which follows after the broad-based and universal Feast of Tabernacles. It is a close
family union, with much deeper and more pure insights and depth of meaning and
spirituality. Finkel goes on:

"Rabbi Noach of Lechowitz expounded, The theme of Shemini Atzeret may be
better understood if we think of it in terms of a BRIDE AND GROOM.
During the wedding, they are both decked out in a wardrobe of exquisite, elegant
clothes and jewelry. However, when they come together in their private
chamber, they remove their garments and jewelry.

"It is the same with Shemini Atzeret. During the seven days of Sukkot, the
Jewish people offered a profusion of seventy bulls, but on Shemini Atzeret
-- the moment they achieve COMPLETE UNIFICATION WITH GOD -- they brought
only one bull (Num. 29:36)" (The Essence of the Holy Days, p.
98-99).

The fact that there are no outward rituals or symbols connected with Shemini
Atzeret, unlike Passover, Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets, Atonement, and Sukkot,
speaks of the unique spiritual quality of this final Festival of YEHOVAH
God. It is as if we have transcended from the physical to the purely spiritual
-- from the concrete and palpable to the sublime and untouchable -- from that
which can be seen to that which cannot be seen. As the apostle Paul wrote, "While
we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen:
for the things which are seen are temporal [temporary, transient, evanescent]:
but the things which are not seen are ETERNAL" (II Corinthians 1:18).

We move from the threshold of the visible to the invisible -- from those things
which can be shaken to the unshakable. As Paul also wrote, "See that ye refuse
not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on
earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh
from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying,
Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet
once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of
things that are made, that those things that cannot be shaken may REMAIN.
Wherefore we [Israelites] receiving a kingdom which CANNOT BE MOVED, let us have grace, whereby
we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a
consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:25-29).

Comparing the symbolism of this Holy Day with the imagery of a Bride and Bridegroom
(remember, YEHOVAH God re-marries physical Israel),
and their intimate togetherness, by themselves, after all the guests and partygoers
depart, gives us a special insight into the real spiritual implications of Shemini
Atzeret. The picture reveals that after the Millennial "Feast" of Tabernacles is
finished, and the great "Fall Harvest" has been gathered in, the Bride, composed of physical Israelites (Galatians 6:16) -- and the Groom,
YEHOVAH God -- will have a special "day" or time to themselves, in an even deeper
expression of intimate love, sensitivity, and pure joy through the pouring out
of YEHOVAH's spirit.

The Kingship of
Israel

In Genesis 49:9-10 we read the following:

"Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, you have
gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall
rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from
between his feet, until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience
of the people" (NKJV).

The Monarchy and the Throne of Great Britain arepart
of a divinely ordained royal succession that is descended from the
scepter-holding line of Judah, and the royal throne of David. The evidence for
this can be traced asfar back
as Abraham.

At the coronation of Edgar in 973, and at each
coronation since, the scepter -- the sign of kingly power, promised never to
depart from the line of Judah -- has been a part of the regalia bestowed upon
the monarch at his or her enthronement.The
anointing of the monarch's head with holy chrism, a fragrant mixture of olive
oil and balsam, accompanied by prayers calling upon the holy spirit to
descend and sanctify the monarch, recallsthe
Kings of the Old Testament who were similarly anointed.

There is, too, a solemn moment in the Coronation
Service which inextricablyjoins
the British monarch to King David's son, Solomon, the first afterDavid
to sit on the throne which YEHOVAH God promised would never become empty: it is
the ritual of anointing in the Coronation Service when the anthem, "Zadok thepriest,
and Nathan the prophet, anointed Solomonking,"
is sung, together with the acclamation,"God
save the King, long live the King, may the King live for ever."

These rituals connected with the kingly line --
which was both promised and begun in the Old Testament -- have beena
part of the English coronation service going back at least to the time of King
Edgar, to the present Coronation ceremony asit
was last enactedin 1953 for
the present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.

At the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, an anthem was
sung just prior to the enthronement: "Be strong and of good courage." In the Old
Testament, Moses is credited with speaking these exact words to the
people of Israel
as they are about to cross the River Jordan and enter the land that was promised
to their forefathers. The analogy between the reign of Queen Elizabeth and
the imminence of Israel about to cross a threshold (the Jordan) into a new and
promised era
is worth considering.

The remarkable genealogy of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II,
reveals that the monarch seated on the throne of Britain fulfils the promises
that YEHOVAH God made to Judah of an everlasting scepter, and to King David that
he would never lack a person to sit on his throne. When the Messiah returns,
according to Scripture he will be given the throne of David -- which presently
is the throne of Britain. From this throne the Messiah will rule over a reunited
Israel!

So, where does Shemini Atzeret fit into all
this?

There are a number of other things that the
Jews commemorate Shemini Atzeret for, kingship being one of them. We find that
the readings on Shemini Atzeret in the Torah and the Haftarah are
connected to the inauguration of the Jerusalem Temple, to the blessing the
people of Israel gave to Solomon, and the blessing he gave the people -- and to
the ESTABLISHMENT OF THE KINGSHIP OF DAVID. The events surrounding the Blessing
of the King were so important that the Jews repeat them no less than three times
-- once during the Feast of Tabernacles and twice on Shemini Atzeret!

Rashi (Medieval French rabbi, 1040-1105), in
his commentary on the Talmud, explains the connection between the
kingship of Israel and Shemini Atzeret:

"From the Tosefta we
may derive that they [the Israelites] blessed the King (of Israel), as it is
said: 'Shimini Atzeret has a blessing of its own -- since it is written (on
King Solomon) -- On the EIGHTH DAY he [Solomon] sent them home and they [the
Israelites] blessed the King (of Israel)' (Kings 1:8)."

Abudarham (a leading rabbi who flourished in
Seville, Spain around 1340) agrees with this --

"And he reads the Maftir
[haftarah portion of the prophetic books] from Kings: 'When King
Solomon finished (building the holy Temple) etc.'. And the reason for the
reading from this particular Haftarah is because it is said in it
'And on the EIGHTH DAY he [Solomon] sent them [the people of Israel] away
and they blessed the king'."

Abudarham then adds:

"And the reason for reading
the Haftarah is because King Solomon blessed them [the people of
Israel] ON THE EIGHTH DAY of the holiday (Shemini Atzeret) as it is said
'And he blessed the entire congregation of Israel' (Kings 1:8-14). So
from here we derive that the blessing which separates Shimini Atzeret from
Succoth is indeed 'The Blessing of the King of Israel'."

We read about this event in I Kings 8 --
notice!

"All the men of Israel gathered before King
Solomon at the Feast [of Booths -- Tabernacles], in the month of Ethanim -- that
is, the seventh month. When all the elders of Israel had come, the priests
lifted the Ark and carried up the Ark of the LORD...Meanwhile, King Solomon
and the whole community of Israel, who were assembled with him before
the Ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen in such abundance that they could
not be numbered or counted. The priests brought the Ark of the LORD's
Covenant to its place underneath the wings of the cherubim, in the Shrine of
the House [Temple], in the Holy of Holies...When the priests came out of the
sanctuary -- for the cloud had filled the House [Temple] of the LORD and the
priests were not able to remain and perform the service because of the
cloud, for the Presence [Shekinah Glory] of the LORD filled the House of the
LORD...

"Then, with the whole congregation of Israel standing, the king faced
about and blessed the whole congregation of Israel...Then Solomon
stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of the whole community
of Israel; he spread the palms of his hands toward heaven and said, 'O
LORD God of Israel, in the heavens above and on the earth below there is no
god like You, who keep Your gracious covenant with Your servants when they
walk before You in wholehearted devotion; You who have kept the promises You
made to Your servant, my father David, fulfilling with deeds the promise You
made -- as is now the case. And now, O LORD God of Israel, keep the further
promise that You made to Your servant, my father David: 'YOUR LINE
[DESCENDANTS] ON THE THRONE OF ISRAEL SHALL NEVER END, if only your
[David's] descendants will look to their way and walk before Me as you have
walked before Me.' Now, therefore, O God of Israel, let the promise that You
made to Your servant my father David be fulfilled...

"Thus the king and all
the Israelites dedicated the House of the LORD...So Solomon and all
Israel with him -- a great assemblage, [coming] from Lebo-hamath to the
Wadi of Egypt -- observed the Feast at that time before the LORD our God,
seven days and again seven days, fourteen days in all. ON THE EIGHTH DAY [Shemini
Atzeret] he let the people go. They bade the king good-bye and went to their
homes, joyful and glad of heart over all the goodness that the LORD had
shown to His servant David and His people Israel" (The Tanakh,
verses 2-4, 5-6, 10-11, 14, 22-26, 63 and 65-66).

So, according to the books of Kings and
Chronicles, Solomon gathered the entire nation of Israel to Jerusalem for
a prolonged celebration to commemorate the completion of the Temple. The
celebration lasted 14 days -- seven days for the dedication of the altar and
seven days for the Feast of Tabernacles. And when the celebrations and the
happiness came to a climax, and the entire people of Israel had eaten an
abundance of peace offerings, the Ark of the Covenant -- with the two tablets of
stone within -- was brought into the new Temple, and all the priests and Levites
surrounded it with great honor. Then, according to the Midrash, an unexpected
problem arose: Legend states that the gates of the Temple shut themselves
off and would not allow Solomon to enter with the Ark! One can imagine the
horror Solomon must have felt as he stood there before the Temple gates. Was
YEHOVAH God rejecting his young kingship -- in front of the eyes of all Israel?
Was the House of David rejected forever because David had shed so much blood
during his life -- even though he was defending Israel? These must have been
some of the thoughts running through the minds of all the people assembled there
next to him. Then according to the Midrash, the Levites started
singing praises on Solomon's behalf.

The Levites tried hard to influence the gates
to open; after all, surely Solomon should not be punished for the sins of his
father. But the gates were stubborn; they refused to open and let Solomon and
the Ark enter. The Levites continued singing, yet the gates remained closed. And
all the time the people were watching attentively. Will the new king be able to
open the gates? Will YEHOVAH God accept him? So Solomon finally spoke up: "So
therefore, arise O LORD God, to Your resting place, You and the Ark of Your
strength. Let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let your
saints rejoice in goodness. O LORD God, do not turn away the face of Your
anointed." Yet this plea was ineffectual and the gates remained closed.

However, states the Midrash, king
Solomon did not give up -- he continued: "Remember the mercies of Your servant
David." As soon as he mentioned his father David, the gates opened and allowed
him to enter with the Ark into the hall. At that very moment, according to the
legend, THE KINGSHIP OF DAVID AND HIS HOUSE WAS ESTABLISHED FOREVER. If this
legend is based on fact -- and the rabbis believe that it is -- then is there
any other more appropriate day to celebrate the Kingship of David (a kingship
that has flourished down to our day in the form of the British monarchy) than
Shemini Atzeret? Is there any wonder that the people of Israel went to Solomon's
palace to bless and greet him, and to be blessed by him -- year after year?
Indeed, it was on Shemini Atzeret when they went to his home. As we read in the
Haftarah for the day -- "And it happened on the EIGHTH DAY that he
[Solomon] sent them away, and they blessed the king, and they went back each to
his tent happy and content for the goodness that the LORD God has done to His
slave David and to His people Israel."

So Shemini Atzeret is the "birthday" of:

(1) The Jerusalem Temple.

(2) The Fire from heaven on the altar of
the new Temple, which burned -- without interruption -- for four hundred years.

(3) The Kingship of the House of David.

(4) The love of YEHOVAH God for His
people Israel as one nation united in Jerusalem, and prophesied to be united
again in Jerusalem after the return of YEHOVAH God and His Messiah.

The Nourishment
from Heaven

But there is even more to this
momentous day.

Joel Ziff, in Mirrors in Time: A Psycho-Spiritual Journey through the
Jewish Year, gives us even greater insight and understanding into the
deep spiritual meaning of Shemini Atzeret. He informs us:

"...Sukkot is associated with the earth. There are two qualities of
earth -- one implying humility and the other expansiveness. We pray for humility
with the words, 'May I be like the dust of the earth before all of creation'...
Paradoxically, the image of earth is also used to suggest expansiveness when
God promises Abraham and Sara their progeny will be like the 'dust of the
earth.' In this same manner, developing a sense of humility and an acceptance
and appreciation of our vulnerability, we also connect to the source of our
power and hope.

"On the eighth day, we collect the water we have accessed. It becomes a
WELL from which we can nourish ourselves as we resume ordinary life. The connection
of the well to Shemini Atzeret can be translated as assembly or collection.
On this day, we assemble within ourselves the STOREHOUSE OF ENERGY which will
fuel our efforts through the remainder of the year, as we bring light into
the darkness. Just as we can store water in a cistern, JOY energizes
our continued efforts through the year.

"We have been able to experience ourselves in a new way while under the protection
of the sukkah. On the eighth day, we set aside the external supports
which have helped us to respond in a new way. We no longer use the lulav
and etrog. We return to our homes and say farewell to the sukkah.
In some respects, the props are no longer necessary -- just as a plant
which has grown from a seedling no longer needs special protection from the
elements. We are now more able to support ourselves.

"However, we are not completely self-sufficient. The Israelites were more
able to sustain themselves when they reached the land of Israel. They worked
hard to plant and harvest crops rather than rely on the manna for food. However,
they still required help from God in the form of RAIN. On Shemini Atzeret,
the beginning of the planting season, a special prayer for rain is added to
the daily service. In this same spirit, we are able to work hard to nurture
our NEW BEGINNING, but we still need nourishment to flow down to us from
the heavens to HELP US GROW AND DEVELOP" (p. 241-242).

Shemini Atzeret, then, represents the completion of one cycle, and the beginning
of another NEW cycle, according to YEHOVAH's Plan. It represents a NEW BEGINNING.
This "new beginning" requires "rain" -- a type of the Spirit of YEHOVAH God
poured out in order to produce a new crop and a new harvest! Shemini Atzeret
represents the beginning of a new RAINY SEASON, during which the earth is nourished
by rain from the heavens. Spiritually, then, it represents the pouring out anew
of YEHOVAH's holy spirit and the continuation and expectation of a NEW HARVEST
for the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God!

Joel Ziff goes on, describing how this day integrates with the High Holy Day
season, the Days of Awe, and the Feast of Sukkot. He writes:

"Shneur Zalman also describes the process at this time of year with the
image of a PLANTING A SEED in the earth. The planting of the seed in the earth
is a symbol of humility; when we plant a seed, we cover it with earth. We
are like that seed in our process of self-evaluation during the Days of Awe...Eventually the seed sprouts and emerges into the light of day from inside
the earth. Empowered by the work of self-reflection, the actions take place
with a positive feeling. After doing the work of self-reflection on Yom Kippur,
we are able to respond wholeheartedly on Sukkot. As we dig into the earth,
we find a spring, a well of water that flows up to us from the depths. On
Shemini Atzeret, we ACCESS THE 'LIVING WATERS' OF SALVATION which flow
the quality of God's loving kindness, Chesed" (p. 242).

Thus the Festivals of YEHOVAH God are intimately bound up with the cycles
of the earth -- the seasons of spring, summer, fall, and winter. They are connected
closely and in depth to the AGRICULTURAL HARVESTS of the year -- spring,
summer
and fall. But there is a mighty, profound, rich spiritual lesson in all this.
What is this lesson? What do the annual cycles of planting and harvest have
to do with YEHOVAH's spiritual Plan?

Let's understand this!

The Meaning of the Number "Eight"

The very name of this festival, "Shemini Atzeret," literally means "The Eighth
Assembly." It is the final holy day of YEHOVAH's Holy Day Plan. However, there
is great significance in the number "eight" itself!

E. W. Bullinger, in his book Number in Scripture, explains about
the meaning and symbolism of numbers, including the number "eight." He declares:

"In Hebrew the number eight is Sh'moneh, from the root Shah'meyn,
'to make fat,' 'cover with fat,' 'to super-abound.' As a participle it means
'one who abounds in strength,' etc. As a noun it is 'superabundant fertility,'
'oil,' etc. So that as a numeral it is the superabundant number. As
seven was so called because the seventh day was the day of completion
and rest, so eight, as the eighth day, was over and above this perfect
completion, and was indeed the FIRST of a new series, as well as being
the eighth. Thus it already represents two numbers in one, the first
and eighth" (p. 196).

Even as "seven" is YEHOVAH's number of perfection, or completion (as the Sabbath
is the seventh day of the week, which completes and perfects the week), so "eight"
is the same as the first day of the NEXT week, but counting from the
days of the previous week. Thus it represents clearly "A NEW BEGINNING."

An example of "eight" used in this connection in the Scriptures is the fact
that as Peter tells us, there were EIGHT souls in the Ark of Noah, who helped
begin the NEW WORLD after the Flood! We read of the time when "the long-suffering
of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few,
that is, eight souls were saved by water" (I Peter 3:20).

Interestingly, in the Temple
that might have been (that YEHOVAH God described in Ezekiel), we
find that there were seven steps that led into the outer court (Ezekiel
40:22, 26); however, there were eight steps that led from the outer court
to the inner court (Ezekiel 40:31, 34, 37). The first seven led from labor to
rest, but the eight led from rest to intimate fellowship with YEHOVAH God and
pure worship! (For more information about this Temple, send for or download
Ezekiel's Temple and Sacrifices: Will Temple Sacrifices Resume in the
Millennium?).

The consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests of YEHOVAH God required
seven days of being set apart (Leviticus 8:35), but it was on the "eighth day" that
they were anointed as "priests," thus beginning a "new" ministry and office
before YEHOVAH God and the people.

David was the "eighth" son of Jesse, thus also beginning a "new dynasty" in
Israel when he became king (I Samuel 16:10-11; II Samuel 17:12).

Bullinger adds concerning the significance of this number "8":

"It is 7 plus 1. Hence it is the number specially associated with
Resurrection and Regeneration [the Messiah was resurrected on
the "eighth" day, or the first day of the week], and the BEGINNING
OF A NEW ERA OR ORDER.

"When the whole earth was covered with a flood, it was Noah 'the eighth person'
(II Peter 2:5) who stepped out on to a new earth to commence a new order of
things. 'Eight souls' (I Pet. 3:20) passed through it with him to the new
or regenerated world.

"Hence, too, circumcision was to be performed on the EIGHTH DAY (Genesis 17:12)....The
first-born was to be given to Jehovah on the eighth day (Exodus 22:29-30).

The Holy City, New Jerusalem

Eight is the first "cubic" number -- it is 2 x 2 x 2 = 8. Whereas "3"
is the symbol of the first plane figure (a triangle with 3 sides), and
"4" is the first square, so here in the first "cube" figure we see something
of transcendent perfection, something in which length, breadth, and height are
all equal! But what does this fact have to do with Shemini Atzeret, the "eighth"
day?

E. W. Bullinger points out this salient fact:

This significance of the cube is seen in the fact that the 'Holy
of Holies,' both in the Tabernacle and in the Temple, were cubes. In
the Tabernacle it was a cube of ten cubits. In the Temple it was a
cube of twenty cubits. IN REVELATION 20, THE NEW JERUSALEM IS TO BE A CUBE
OF 144,000 FURLONGS. Dr. Milo Mahan is inclined to believe that the Ark
of Noah, too, had a kind of sacred Shechinah in 'the window finished in a
cubit above' -- a cube of one. If so, we have the series of cubes:

1 = The Ark
10 to the third = 1,000, The Tabernacle
203 to the third = 8,000, The Temple
12,000 to the third = 1,728,000,000,000, The New Jerusalem" (Number
in Scripture, Bullinger, p. 201-212).

Bullinger points out that the number 1,728 (see above) is also a very unusual
number. It is the product of 8 squared (Shemini -- "a new beginning" squared),
times 3 to the third (the number of Decision, Finality, Judgment, cubed).

But what does all this have to do with the "Eighth Day of Assembly"?

The Plan of YEHOVAH God Unveiled!

YEHOVAH God has revealed His truth only to "the
election." Who are they? They are the "elect of God" (see I Peter 1:2,
Colossians 3:12, Titus 1:1, I Peter 2:6) -- that is, true Israelite Christians!
I must use the word "true," here, because the vast majority of professing
"Christians" are themselves IGNORANT of YEHOVAH's true plan of salvation, and
are no more converted than a jack-rabbit or an African chimpanzee! Those of
Israel who are true Christians, however, are being given their chance for
salvation today, at this time -- "For the time is come that judgment must begin
at the house of God" (I Peter 4:17).

Those Israelites being called out of this world now,
to understand and obey YEHOVAH's truth, are being judged now; but YEHOVAH God
has allowed the vast majority of the Israelite people to be blinded, and are
disobedient, "whereunto also they were appointed" (I Peter 2:8). What will
happen to them?

They are not lost forever. YEHOVAH Himself will open
their eyes, and show them His truth, at a later time, as we shall see.

Let's understand. YEHOVAH has predestined NO ONE to
be lost or to be doomed! Not at all! Predestination has to do withWHENone
is called, andWHENa
person has YEHOVAH's truth revealed to him -- not whether he is going to be
saved or lost!

Those Israelites called to understand YEHOVAH's truth now have
a special blessing. As Paul wrote:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ: according as he hath chosen us [Israelites] in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him
in love: having PREDESTINATED US unto the adoption [or, sonship, in the
Greek] of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good
pleasure of his will...in whom we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; wherein he hath
abounded toward us [Israelites] in all wisdom and prudence; having made
known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which
he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fullness of
time he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in
heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: in whom also we have obtained
an inheritance, being PREDESTINATED according to the purpose of him who
worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: that we should be to
the praise of his glory, who FIRST TRUSTED IN CHRIST" (Ephesians 1:3-12).

Notice! We of the sons of Jacob are those who have
"first trusted in Christ!" This means there are others who will be called later
to trust in the Messiah! They are the VAST MAJORITY!

We in YEHOVAH's true Church today are compared to "firstfruits"
of the spiritual harvest! We are compared to the early "spring" harvest -- but
the great "fall harvest" will occur later! We are those who have the "firstfruits
of the Spirit" (Romans 8:23). As the apostle James wrote: "Of his own will begat
he us with the word of truth, that WE should be a kind of firstfruits of his
creatures" (James 1:18).

Predestination, then, has to do with theTIMEwhen
YEHOVAH's Israelite people are called. A few are called now, and chosen to
become "first-fruits" to YEHOVAH God and the Lamb. But the vast majority will be
called later! Shemini Atzeret symbolizes the pouring out of YEHOVAH"s spirit on
this later harvest.

As we have already seen, in discussions of the previous holy days of YEHOVAH
God, the Fall Festivals picture the whole Plan of YEHOVAH. The Feast of Rosh
Hoshana pictures the call to Repentance (the blowing of trumpets of warning)
and the return of the Messiah, followed by the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur,
which pictures the Judgment Day when the Messiah judges Israel. This holy
day is followed by the seven day Feast of Sukkot, or "Ingathering," which pictures
the Millennial Reign of YEHOVAH God and the Messiah, for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:10-4).
The last day of this feast, the seventh or final day, called Hoshanna Rabbah
(The Great Hoshannas), pictures the final day of salvation or harvest -- the
Great White Throne judgment, which occurs at the close of the Millennium (Revelation
20:5-14).

But what happens AFTER this final period of JUDGMENT of the multiple
millions
of Israelites on the earth, including all who never understood YEHOVAH's truth,
the vast numbers of Israelites who were not called to be part of the
"firstfruits" from the dead? What happens after they have been "harvested" and
"in-gathered" into the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God?

Notice!

"New Heavens and a New Earth"

The apostle John records: "And I saw a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH: for the
first heaven and the first earth were passed away: and there was no more sea.
And I John saw the holy city, NEW JERUSALEM, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice
out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will
dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with
them, and he their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and
there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon
the throne said, Behold, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW" (Revelation 21:1-5).

John then describes this magnificent "holy city," the New Jerusalem,

"descending
out of heaven from God, having the glory of God: and her light was like unto
a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal: and had a
great wall and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and
names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children
of Israel...And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them
the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had
a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof'.
And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth:
and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs [that
is, approximately 1,500 miles to a side]. The length and the breadth. and
the height of it are EQUAL" (Revelation 21:10-16).

Could this magnificent city be in the shape of the Holy of Holies of YEHOVAH's
Temple -- a huge magnificent CUBE`? It will represent the "Holy of Holies" in
the earth, which will be the very Throne of YEHOVAH God. Those who will be the
"Bride" of the Messiah -- those Israelites who are in the first resurrection -- will dwell
with YEHOVAH God and the Messiah in this magnificent "Holy of Holies"!

But notice further. Outside this city, in the magnificent New Earth, will dwell
ALL THE NATIONS OF MANKIND that will serve YEHOVAH God and His saints.

John continues his description:

"The NATIONS will walk
by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring
their splendor into it. Its the gates will never close, they will stay open
all day because night will not exist there, and the honor
and splendor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure
may enter it, nor anyone who does shameful things or lies; the only ones who
may enter are those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life [the
Israelite saints]" (Revelation 21:24-27, Jewish New Testament).

Here, residing in
the New Jerusalem, the rest of "saved" Israel is described -- those Israelites who will enter the
Kingdom of YEHOVAH God, during the Millennial reign of YEHOVAH God and the Messiah,
and, those Israelites who are resurrected to mortal life to be given their chance for salvation
after the Millennium, during the "Great White Throne" judgment period -- the
"Great Day of Salvation" represented by Hoshana Rabbah, the seventh and final
day of the Feast of Tabernacles.

However, the term "saved" also has a "present" connotation to it -- that is,
the Greek word "saved" also means "those who are in a saved condition,"
or "those who are in the process of being saved" (see I Corinthians 1:18, 15:2,
II Corinthians 2:15, II Timothy 1:9). Therefore, this verse also has another incredible
meaning and fantastic implication. Let's notice!

The Prophecy of Isaiah

Isaiah the prophet also describes this incredible scene of the new heavens
and the new earth. He prophesied, in chapter 65, of YEHOVAH God creating the
new heavens and earth, as something to be rejoiced in FOREVER -- that is, for
all eternity! But notice what else he says about this stupendous, fantastic
time. Isaiah quotes YEHOVAH as saying:

"For, behold, I create NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH: and the former shall
not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye GLAD and REJOICE FOREVER
[Hebrew, olam, meaning forever, eternity, literally, "to the vanishing
point" or "time out of sight"] in that which I CREATE: for, behold, I create
JERUSALEM A REJOICING, and her people a joy.

"And I will rejoice in Jerusalem [YEHOVAH God Himself will rejoice!!!],
and joy in My people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her,
nor the voice of crying .

"There shall he no more thence an INFANT OF DAYS, nor an old man that hath
not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but
the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed [judged and condemned
to the lake of fire].

"And they shall build houses and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards,
and eat the fruit of them...for as the days of a tree are the days of my
people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall
not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; FOR THEY ARE THE SEED [OFFSPRING,
CHILDREN] OF THE BLESSED OF THE LORD, and their offspring with them ....The
wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the
bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy
in ALL MY HOLY MOUNTAIN, saith the LORD" (Isaiah 65:17-25).

Notice! This passage is clearly dual in application. It describes the Messianic
Kingdom of Yeshua the Messiah, who is coming soon to establish the Kingdom of
YEHOVAH God on earth, as the fulfillment of hundreds of Messianic prophecies,
and also the return of YEHOVAH God Himself to rule with the Messiah!
But it also describes in a vivid and clear sense the "new heavens and new earth"
(Isaiah 65:17). It clearly states that in that New Heavens and New Earth, there
will be CHILDREN BORN -- that YEHOVAH's plan of procreation and multiplication
of potential members of the Divine Family through human beings, will continue,
throughout the ages, and perhaps even "beyond time"!

Is such a thing possible?

Is "Shemini Atzeret" in reality the "staging ground," THE THRESHOLD, the NEW
BEGINNING of the NEXT PHASE of YEHOVAH's Plan? Its very name identifies it as
a "new beginning." YEHOVAH God will create a "new beginning" when He creates
new heavens and a new earth. Yeshua the Messiah plainly told John, "I make ALL
THINGS NEW" (Revelation 21:5).

The apostle Peter writes of that coming awesome time: "But the day of the
Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the
earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that
all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in
all holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the
day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements
shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless, we according to his promise, look
for NEW HEAVENS and a NEW EARTH, WHEREIN DWELLETH RIGHTEOUSNESS" (II
Peter 3:10-13).

YEHOVAH God's Incredible Plan

In the book of Genesis, God said, at the original creation of mankind:

"And God said, 'Let
us make HUMANKIND in our image, after OUR LIKENESS: And let
THEM [humankind] have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the
heavens,
and over the cattle, and over ALL the earth, and over every creeping thing
that creeps upon the earth.'

"And God CREATED
HUMANKIND in His own image, in the image of God CREATED He THEM [humankind];
male and female He CREATED THEM.

"And God blessed
THEM; and God said to THEM, 'BE FRUITFUL, AND MULTIPLY,
AND REPLENISH [Hebrew, FILL UP] THE EARTH, and subdue it; and have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over
every living thing that moves upon the earth" (Genesis 1:26-28, The
Dead Sea Scrolls Bible).

Here we see God
creating mankind (humankind) on the sixth day of Creation. Then, after God's day
of rest (the seventh day) we find a SPECIAL creation -- that of Adam and Eve --
notice!

"And the LORD God
FORMED MAN of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life; and MAN became a living being....And the LORD God took THE MAN [Adam] and put him [not
them] into the garden of
Eden to cultivate it and to keep it. And the LORD God
commanded THE MAN [Adam], saying..." (ibid., translated by Abegg, Flint and Ulrich.
HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. 1999).

The word "formed" is used (molded
as clay) to describe the making of Adam. When man was formed he became a living
creature. In the Hebrew it is "'eth-ha-'adham" -- which refers to the particular
person "Adam" -- NOT a generic form for man as found in Genesis 1.

From the weight of all the
evidence it seems that Adam was the first SPIRITUAL man -- but NOT the first
biological man. In other words, YEHOVAH God took one man from Genesis One and
breathed into him the breath of life. "And man BECAME a living soul"
(Genesis 2:7). The word "became" is consistently used in a manner showing that
the subject became something that it had not been before. This indicates that
there were those with the spirit and those "having NOT the spirit" (Jude 19).
The latter is the "natural man" who "CANNOT receive the things of God" (1
Corinthians 2:14).

So, how much authority did YEHOVAH God really intend to give
Adam's descendants? David tells
us in the Psalms, "What is man [Adam], that thou art mindful of him? and the son of
man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the
angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have
dominion over the works of thy hands: thou hast put ALL THINGS [that is, ALL
THE UNIVERSE!!!] under his feet..." (Psalm 8:4-6).

The apostle Paul referred to this Scripture, when he wrote, "Thou hast put
all things under his feet. For in that he put ALL in subjection under him [children
of Israel],
HE LEFT NOTHING THAT IS NOT PUT UNDER HIM. But now we see NOT YET all
things put under him" (Hebrews 2:8).

YEHOVAH God intends for
all the children of Israel, after they repent of their sins and learn their
lessons, and learn to obey YEHOVAH God, and develops righteous, holy, godly
character, to become GLORIFIED AS HIS OWN CHILDREN -- HIS DIVINE SONS -- whom
He will give AUTHORITY to rule the entire Cosmos -- the UNIVERSE -- all the
galaxies and star systems of space!

As Paul wrote to the Church in Rome, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with
our spirit, that we [Israelites] ARE the children of God. And if children, then
HEIRS: heirs of GOD, and JOINT-HEIRS with CHRIST: if so be that we suffer
with him, that we [Israelites] may be also GLORIFIED TOGETHER" (Romans 8:16-17). Paul was so
overwhelmed by the thought of our destiny, that he exclaimed, "For I reckon
that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with
the GLORY that shall be revealed in us [Israelites]" (Romans 8:18).

How awesome is the Plan of YEHOVAH God!

Will YEHOVAH's Plan of reproducing Himself, expanding His divine Family, through
Israelites made with "the breath of life", continue throughout eternity?
There are many indications in the Scriptures that it is so. Consider!

Onward and Forward Forever!

Isaiah the prophet wrote, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given;
and the government will be upon his shoulders. And his name shall be
called the Wonder of the Counselor, the judge of the Mighty Everlasting Father
-- the Prince of Peace. Of the INCREASE of his government shall be NO END,
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish
it with judgment and with justice from henceforth EVEN FOREVER. The zeal
of the LORD of hosts will perform this" (Isa. 9:6-7).

The word "increase" in this passage is the Hebrew word marbyth
and literally means "multitude, offspring, greatness, increase." The
word for "end" is the Hebrew word quetz and means "extremity, utmost,
border, finite."

In other words, YEHOVAH God is telling us here that the growing and multiplying
and INCREASING of the SIZE AND SCOPE AND NUMBERS in YEHOVAH's Kingdom will have
NO "limitation" or "border" or be in any sense "finite" or "limited." The increase
will grow and continue like "compound interest," FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER --
throughout the future ages and aeons of time and space!

There is further evidence of this stupendous fact! In the book of Genesis,
we read that after the Flood, when YEHOVAH began a "new world" order under Noah
and his descendants:

"And God said, This is the token of the covenant which
I will make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, FOR
PERPETUAL GENERATIONS: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it
shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come
to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in
the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and
every living creature of all flesh: and the waters shall no more become a flood
to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon
it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and
every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth" (Gen. 9:12-16).

In verse 12, here, the word for "generations" refers to human generations.
The word for "perpetual" is the Hebrew word olam which literally means
"forever, eternity, the vanishing point." The expression "PERPETUAL GENERATIONS"
therefore implies that human reproduction will go on FOREVER -- IT IS
THE PLAN OF YEHOVAH GOD TO CONTINUE REPRODUCING BEINGS IN HIS VERY LIKENESS
AND IMAGE -- HIS OWN SONS AND DAUGHTERS -- FOREVER!!!

But for a final proof from Scripture, notice YEHOVAH's words in Deuteronomy
7. YEHOVAH tells His people Israel that He has chosen them as His special people,
not because of their own greatness, or goodness (Deuteronomy 7:7-8), but He chose
them because He loved them, and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, their ancestors,
to whom He had made wonderful promises, which He intends to keep.

YEHOVAH God then said to Israel, "Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he
is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love
him and keep his commandments TO A THOUSAND GENERATIONS" (Deuteronomy
7:9). The Hebrew word for "generations" here is dor and literally means
"ages," "generations," "revolutions."

In the Bible, one of the key definitions of a "generation" is found in Numbers
14. The generation of Israelites that came out of Egypt were faithless and disobedient,
and feared to go into the Promised Land and fight the Canaanites (Numbers 13:21-33).
They rebelled against Moses and against YEHOVAH God (Numbers 14:1-10). YEHOVAH
therefore decided to punish them, and cause that generation to wander in the
wilderness, and die there, for a period of 40 years (Numbers 14:34).

If we use the number "40" as the length of a Biblical "generation," then YEHOVAH's
statement in Deuteronomy 7:9 that He would bless the righteous "to a thousand
generations" would compute to a time period of 40 years times 1,000 generations.
In other words, 40 x 1,000 = 40,000 years!!!

Since the time of Adam and Eve,
the line of Adam has been on this planet for only about
6,000 years. The Millennial Sabbath day, which is 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4), will
be the "final day" of YEHOVAH's "week" of seven days, picturing the 7,000 year
plan of YEHOVAH God, which encompasses the time from Adam and Eve till the end
of the Millennium.

But what comes after that?

Clearly, when we put all these Scriptures together, there will be human
beings born in the new heavens and new earth! They also will be given an opportunity
-- without any Devil or Satan or his demonic hordes to tempt or seduce them
-- to qualify for salvation and eternal life!

They will live in a wonderful Garden of Eden-like world, like Adam and Eve,
only this time there won't be a Devil or his demons to deflect, sidetrack, deceive,
or seduce them! But they will have billions of "sons of God," already in YEHOVAH's
Kingdom, ready to help, instruct, guide and teach them, at a moment's notice!
And when they have qualified, they, too, will become spirit beings -- literal
"sons of God" in the ever-expanding KINGDOM OF YEHOVAH GOD!

Truly, there is far more meaning and significance to "The Eighth Day" -- Shemini
Atzeret -- than mankind has even begun to imagine or entertain in his mind!

As the apostle Paul wrote, "As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared
for them that love him" (I Corinthians 2:9).

Think of it! We
Israelites -- who are called now -- have the opportunity to get in on the
"ground floor," so to speak, of YEHOVAH's Kingdom -- to be a part of the BRIDE
of the Messiah, to be the born again "Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16). The rest of the
Israelites residing in the nations
of
mankind, who are not called now, in this age, will
become members of YEHOVAH's Kingdom at a later time, when their "calling" comes
to fruition.

This great and awesome plan will stagger their imaginations, when they first
learn about it. and see it being implemented in us!

The Conclusion
of the Matter

This day called
Shemini Atzeret -- the Last Great Day -- which has gone unnoticed,
misinterpreted and misunderstood by millions, turns out to be probably the most
important of all of YEHOVAH's holy days! On this day the Jews, for thousands of
years, have prayed for rain; stored up knowledge, spiritual food and instruction
collected during the preceding Feast of Tabernacles; understood the significance
of the sacrifice of a single bull; acknowledged the bride and groom relationship
pictured in this day; and blessed the kingship of David.

All of this points to
the ONLY conclusion we can come to: This day was set aside by YEHOVAH God for
His people Israel ONLY! It represents the time following the Millennium
and the great White Throne judgment when all those Israelites who are judged
worthy by YEHOVAH God will receive the outpouring of His spirit and resume an
intimate spiritual bride-and-groom relationship with their adoptive Father --
all the while under the kingship of Yeshua the Messiah of the line of David!
Then, on top of all that, this day -- being the eighth day -- represents a new
beginning when YEHOVAH God starts expanding His divine Family for all eternity!

And, as the prophet declared, "And so ALL ISRAEL will be saved, as
it is written: The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness
from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins....For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For as you were once disobedient
to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these
also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may
obtain mercy. For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might
have MERCY ON ALL [Israelites]" (Romans 11:26-32).

Thinking on these marvelous things, Paul exclaimed, "O the depth of the riches
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments,
and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who
hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed
unto him again`? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things:
to whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Romans 11:33-36). Absolutely, Amen!

Hope of Israel Ministries
-- Preparing the Way for the Return of YEHOVAH God and His Messiah!